Prevention of Crime
Role of the Community
The primary responsibility for upholding the law lies not with the police but with the people. Since crime is a social problem, crime prevention is the concern of every person living in society. Society employs full-time professional police to assist in preventing crime and to deter it, and when that fails, to apprehend those who violate the law.
Crime is a symptom of the ills in society that are not the sole responsibility of the police to cure. The police are responsible for interacting with the community to generate a mutual understanding so that there may be public support for crime prevention. Community involvement is essential to facilitate a free flow of information between the public and the police; to assist in the identification of problem areas and to inform the public of crime trends and statistics. Additionally, knowledge of the community is essential so that each officer and employee may be instilled with a sense of concern for crime problems and law enforcement needs.